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IMPROVEMENT IN PIANO-FORTES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that l, 1"VILLIAM H. MCDONALD, of Brooklyn, in 'the countyof Kings, and Stu-te of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulimprovement on Prop Sticks to Piano-Forte-Case Lids or Tops, applicablealso to other musical instruments, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, forming part of this specification, and which represents atransverse section of a piano case with its lid or top having myimprovement applied to it. n

There is no little inconvenience nor small amount of labor requisite,and considerable risk as regardsinjury or breakage, in raising andlowering the main lids or tops of piano-forte cases, the prop sticks, asheretofore constructed and operating, meeting but imperfectly thefacilities and functions required of them. Thus, in opening the lid, forinstance, it is customary to first raise the lid by, say, lifting itnear the one end, which, in case of a heavy lid, induces unequal strain01 sagging of the opposite end, and, after raising the hinged prop atsuch lifted end, to run the hand or hands along the lid to get at andraise the prop at the opposite end. fr like inconvenience attaches'tolowering,l the lid, first the one prop havingto be dropped, and then theother,

while, both in raising and lowering, there is great liability to injuryor breakage by the untimely adjustment of the props, or their prematureor accidental lowering. My invention obviates these diiliculties byattachment to the props of springs and loops or other holdfasts, so thaton raising the lid at its centre, say-thereby avoiding all sagging orstraining, and the same remark applies to lowering the lidthe props atboth ends are or may be automatically raised to their proper positionfor support of the lid in its open condition, while, to lower the lid, i

a simultaneous dropping of both props is produced by 'first unshippingthe holdfast of one prop and then the other, and afterwards slightlylifting on the lid, preferably at its centre, before letting` it down.

Referringr to the accompanying drawing, A represents apiano-forte casewith its main lid, B, and supplementary lid, b. C is one ofthe propsarranged in .the one end of the case, the same arrangement beingduplicated at the opposite end. This prop, which is pivoted or hinged,as at c, may have a soft covering, (Z, at its supporting end, and haveits raised or lowered position regulated or limited by stops, ef,against which it is made to strike. Attached to this prop is a rubbercord, D, or other suitable spring, formed with a loop, g, bitching on toa pin, 7L, or otherwise provided with any suitable holdfast to insurethe operation ofthe prop substantially as follows: Prior to lifting themain lid B, the elastic cord D of both props is hitched on to its pin7L, when, on raising said lid, the supporting ends of the props. will beautomatically* raised by the action of the cords or springs D, to theirproper position for holding up the lid, that, in being raised, thesupporting ends of the props follow up. 'lo lower the lid it is onlynecessary to unhitch the elastic cords or other springs from their pinsor points ot attachment, and afterwards to slightly lift on, the lid soas to release pressure of the latter on the props which then, but nottill then, suddenly drop, so as in no way to interfere with the loweringof the lid, which, by this, my invention, it will be seen, may be bothraised and lowered by the hand or hands applied to it at the centre,both props rising and falling simultaneously and automatically, and thelid or instrument being protected from injury or damage by irregularadjustment of the props, or the accidental or untimely lowering of them.The reverse action or position of the lid and props is represented byblack and red lines in the drawing. Of course my invention is notrestricted to any particular form or character of spring, or manner of'connecting it with the prop, or mode of bitching it to the case., assuch may be variously modied and applied, either directly or indirectly,to secure a like action of the prop; thus my elevating device,controlled by a spring, and operatingl in a secondary manner on the propto produce like results, would be substantially the saine thing.

What l claim as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the hinged or pivoted prop C, to the lid` B, of aspring or elevating device, controlled by a spring, and made capable ofattachment to or detachment from the case for operation of the prop orprops at either end of the latter, substantially as specified.

WM, H. MODONALD.

Witnesses:

J. W. GooMn, G. W. Etsen.

